Fugue State
by Ninja-Consultant
Summary: When Match is in a comatose state, Superboy and others must travel through his mind and memories to help him. A six chapter story. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Also, if you have not read my other stories, it would be helpful to do so before reading this one. The chronology goes: Brothers in Arms, Where Do We Go From Here, Tragedies of the Past, Betrayal From Within, Future Sins, Reestablishing Bonds, Parents and Children, New Allies, Rivals or Friends, Public Enemy Number One, Double Date, Mind Games, Solar Complications, Mentors and Pupils, Brother Against Brother, Calm Before the Storm, Opening Moves, Isolation, and The Great Father and Son Contest.

Fugue State, chapter 1

Location: the Kent's farm

Conner knew when the alarm went off that something was wrong. The scent of breakfast wasn't in the air, but even more unusual was that Max was still in bed.

Conner went over to him, worried. The only times that Max had slept in this late was when he was undergoing cellular degeneration. Max wasn't sweating, but he was simply staring at the ceiling.

"Max, are you there?" Conner asked.

He received no response.

Conner reached out and shook him. There was no reaction.

Cursing under his breath, Conner threw off the sheets to see if there was anything wrong with his brother's body. He couldn't see anything different. All through this, Max stared at the ceiling, his breathing slow but regular.

"Aunt Martha!" Conner shouted. "Uncle Jon! Call Clark! Something's wrong with Max!"

Location: the JLA Watchtower

Max's comatose body was placed in the medical bay. There was nothing wrong with him physically that the sensors could determine, but he seemed to be in some sort of fugue state.

"Match's mind is normally guarded against mental intrusion," J'onn explained. "In this state, those defenses should be weakened for me to enter his mind."

Kon and Kal watched as J'onn's eyes unfocused. After a moment, he seemed to recover and looked at them with a grim expression on his face.

"This is not a natural occurrence," he stated. "His mind has been infiltrated by some external source and several blockades have been constructed using his memories. These can only be bypassed by moving through them."

"Is it possible for you to undo what's keeping him in this trance?" Kal asked.

"If I did, I would destroy those memories," J'onn said. "That would cause irreparable damage to him. Each section is also tied to a certain person who needs to accompany me to move through them."

"Were you able to find out who's needed?" Kon asked.

"Batman, Robin, the two of you, and a teenage boy named Daniel Reiner."

"You'll be able to bring the five of us into his mind, correct?" Superman asked. "That won't be too difficult, will it?"

"I can do it," J'onn said. "However, I will need the cooperation of everyone involved. They must all be fully active."

Superman sighed. "You're saying that I'll need to get him to agree to it. Kon, can you get Dan and Robin to agree? I'll work on Batman."

Location: the Kent's farm

Conner hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Tim was having issues with Max, but that didn't get in the way of him agreeing to help. Dan was all too eager to help. He didn't know what he was getting into, but nothing would stop him from helping out his boyfriend. Conner hoped that there wasn't going to be anything dangerous involved, because it would be difficult to protect Dan in an environment where anything could happen.

Conner frowned. He didn't like the thought of going into Max's mind without his permission. His brother was a very private person, and he knew there were things in his past that he wanted to forget. Mental landscapes could also be manipulated by those with telepathic powers, so it was likely that the one who did this to him was waiting behind all of the blockades.

"It's all right, I'm going to save you," Conner said aloud.

Location: the Bat Cave

"Hh," Batman said.

Superman's eyes narrowed. He had expected a real reply to his request for aid, not just an indication that Bruce had heard it. He waited for a response.

"I don't like the idea of bringing a civilian into this," Batman said. "We have no idea of the dangers involved; he could be injured or killed."

"He's one of the people that J'onn says are needed to free Match. Between the five of us, we should be able to protect him."

"We'll need to take precautions to shield Robin's and my identities," Batman stated. "J'onn should be able to do that. I assume that we'll begin later today."

Superman was taken aback. "I expected you to think it over more or to have more reservations."

"He's one of our own, Clark. I want him to be my successor. I'll do anything I can to help him."

Location: the JLA Watchtower

Dan was originally awestruck by his surroundings, but he quickly forgot about them when he saw Max lying in the medical bay's bed. He stayed by his side and talked to him, hoping for a response, but received no reply.

Before they entered the room, J'onn took Batman and Robin aside.

"I'll take both of you into his mind first," he explained. "That will allow me to set your mental avatars to be wearing your costumes. You do not have to worry about what Daniel sees."

"That's good to know," Robin said.

"Match knows and we'll be in his mind," Batman warned. "We don't know what to expect so we'll have to be ready for anything. Have you ever done anything like this before?"

"Not exactly like this," J'onn replied. "It will be interesting to see what sort of structure has been created; there are few mentalists that could do such a thing, much less ones that would."

Dan's eyes widened in amazement when Batman, Robin, and the Martian Manhunter entered the room.

"Uh, hello," he stammered.

"When we're in Match's mind, you'll do what we say," Batman ordered him. "We're going to help him, but we don't want any unnecessary injuries. Don't be impulsive or reckless. Do you understand?"

Dan nodded. "I do."

"The Martian Manhunter is going to bring us into Match's mind one by one," Batman told everyone. "We don't know what to expect, so be alert."

Everyone laid out on a bed, and J'onn approached them one by one. Each one fell into a trance as he brought them into Match's mind.

Dan was the last one to be brought in. He felt his eyelids grow heavy as J'onn placed his hand on Dan's forehead. His eyes closed, and Dan didn't feel tired any more. He opened his eyes and saw that everything had changed.

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	2. Chapter 2 Superboy

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Fugue State, chapter 2

Location: Match's mind, section 1A

Everybody gaped at what they saw, except for Kon-El. It wasn't because, in the scene before them, Match wasn't wearing a scrap of clothing. It wasn't even because a younger Superboy was in the scene in his original costume. It was because, barring their coloration, the two looked exactly the same. Everyone knew that the two were identical, but the two brothers had taken pains to differentiate their appearances since they started living with each other. Match was slightly leaner while Superboy wore his hair shorter.

The younger Superboy summed up their feelings when he said, "It's like looking into a mirror, only without the mirror."

Kon wasn't surprised by this. After all, he had already lived through it.

"We're in his memory," Kon said. "What do we do now?"

"This is the scene of his creation, isn't it?" Superman asked.

"It is. It's the Agenda's Alaskan base. Their leaders are over there, watching us, er, them."

"What's the Agenda?" Dan asked.

"It's the organization that created Match," Robin replied. "They were out to rule the world. Didn't he ever tell you?"

"He doesn't like to talk about his past," Dan replied. "I haven't wanted to press him on it."

"He doesn't like talking about it to anyone, even me," Kon remarked. "He can be very closemouthed when he wants, and that's often."

"You didn't really do that, did you?" Robin asked, pointing.

Kon looked at the scene and blushed in shame. He had been weakened at the time and used Match's body as a human shield to protect himself from Spence's energy gun.

"I can't believe you did that!" Superman exclaimed.

"There were extenuating circumstances," Kon said lamely.

"I would not have figured you to be Cain and Match to be Able," Batman said.

"It looks like we've reached the end of this memory," Robin said. "Now what?"

"How'd he survive that explosion?" Dan asked. "I mean, I know he did, but that was a huge blast!"

"Match is a lot tougher than he looks," Kon said.

"His memories have formed a path," J'onn said after concentrating. "If we progress down these paths, we'll reach a barrier associated with one of you. That person will disable it, and we'll progress down another path. I'm going to transition us to the next memory."

Location: Match's mind, section 1B

"I never knew Superman wore that costume," Dan said. "I also never knew that you wore a smaller version of Superman's as Superboy. You look kind of funny in it."

"That's not Superboy wearing it," Superman corrected. "It's me. There was magic involved, and we went to my age while I went to his."

Dan looked skeptical. "Wasn't that a bad movie?"

"It really happened," Robin said. "All of us were hit by it."

"So, that's Superboy blasting his brother with heat vision then?"

"I didn't have very good control of it," Kon protested. "You didn't know Match back then; he's a lot nicer person now. My first girlfriend had also been killed recently, so I was pretty torn up."

"It looks like this memory is ending," Batman said. "Do you have any idea why it's important to him?"

"I can't think of anything," Superman said.

"It's the last time we really fought," Kon said in a subdued voice. "We fought a couple times after, but those were either because of misunderstandings or mind control."

"That would be an important memory for Match," J'onn said. "It is the end of the first phase of his life."

"Let's move on," Batman said.

Location: Match's mind, section 1C

"How could you two go out in public like that?" Superman asked in a horrified voice.

"This was on a mission for the Groups," Kon said. "I know why we're here. This is where we had the turning point in our relationship."

"That happened because you two went clubbing?" Robin asked, grinning.

"Match saved his life here," Batman stated.

"How did you know that?" Superman asked. "Neither of them told me that, just that they stopped being angry at each other. I thought that working together was the catalyst more than anything else."

"Match's report on the matter is quite detailed," Batman replied. "He's very good about writing them. I believe that his feelings had changed before, but this was the first time they manifested."

"We hadn't seen each other in months," Kon said. "I thought he was in jail somewhere, not being a secret agent. I'm glad he was because we probably wouldn't be family now if he didn't work for the Groups."

"So, you got drugged," Robin said, looking at a staggering Superboy. "I'm not seeing...oh, there it is. That was a pretty good save with that telekinetic shield."

"I've always wondered about how he's able to do things like that," Superman said. "Implanted knowledge doesn't really explain it because it's not like there are texts with applications of telekinesis."

"He works out what he wants to do, then figures out the base mechanics necessary to do it," Kon replied. "He explained it to me once. He's also done a little work into trying to figure out all the possibilities from the front end, but he said there are too many to find valid endpoints within a reasonable amount of time."

"I wasn't aware there was such a science to it," Dan commented. "You both make it look natural and so easy."

"If I see something done, I can figure it out," Kon replied. "At least, I can now that Match forced me to learn some fundamentals. He's the one that comes up with a lot of the applications. He's also the one who forces himself to eat spicy foods to spite his enhanced taste, so I'm not sure how much of it is to just challenge himself."

"We're getting closer to the end of this path," J'onn said before shifting them to the next memory.

Location: Match's mind, section 1D

"I haven't seen this before," Kon said. "Let's see what he's doing."

"Here's your next target," Thames said, handing Match a folder.

Match opened the folder and his eyes fell upon a picture of the target: Superboy. He paused.

"There must be some mistake," Match said. "He recently aided me with a mission."

"I know," Thames replied. "That's why we have to kill him. He knows of our existence and that's a security breach that we cannot accept. You're the only one who can stop him if an initial surprise attack fails to be lethal."

Match lashed out with a telekinetic shockwave, hitting Thames and two other agents. He then headed into the base.

Alarms rang out. Match headed down a hall, slamming other agents against the wall as he approached them.

"This is brutal," Robin said. "He's trashing these guys without breaking a sweat."

They watched as Match telekinetically stopped a barrage of bullets in mid-air and crumbled them to dust.

"I wasn't aware that his control was that good," Batman said. "Have you ever seen him do that?"

"I haven't," Kon replied.

"I've never seen this side of him before," Dan said. "Does he always do stuff like this?"

"Not quite," Kon said. "I think he's angry. He gets really efficient when he's angry."

Match entered the base's armory.

"Why's he here?" Superman asked. "He doesn't need any weapons."

Match took out a taser and flicked it on. Electricity sparked on it. He grit his teeth and rolled up his shirt.

"He's not going to-," J'onn began as Match pushed the taser against his side.

Match arched in pain but was silent. He then flicked off the taser and caught his breath for a moment. He took a knife, disinfected it, and carefully made an incision in his side. A few moments later, a small device came out of his body. Match telekinetically bound his wound and placed an incendiary device by the one that was implanted in him a moment ago. As he left the armory, he telekinetically triggered it which burnt the other to ashes.

"What was that?" Superman asked. "Why'd he do that?"

"That was a tracking device," Batman replied. "The Groups must have put it in him along with some kind of bomb to prevent tampering. He neutralized the bomb with the taser and then left the tracker to burn. He made sure there wasn't a way to find him easily."

"The incendiary device also made sure that they wouldn't have a sample for a DNA match," Robin said. "I'm betting that he'll go wipe his file from their systems...yes, he's entered the computer operations room."

"Remind me to always be nice to him," Dan said. "I'm not sure I ever want to see him this angry."

"We're about to transition to the next one," J'onn warned the others.

Location: Match's mind, section 1E

"Why's he crying?" Dan asked. "What happened to him?"

There was uneasy silence as the five heroes remembered what had happened. Most of them weren't proud of what they had done, and Kon didn't want to look like he was throwing stones at the others. J'onn was the first to speak.

"We were misled by someone who thought he was from the future," he said. "This person told us that Match would do terrible things in the future, and we believed him. We were all suspicious of him, except for Superboy."

"You mean you betrayed him," Dan said flatly.

"Yes, we betrayed his trust," Batman said. "We thought he would revert to his old ways. We were wrong."

Dan threw a punch at Batman. He caught it.

"I understand your anger, but control yourself," Batman said coldly. "We're here to help Match out of his fugue state, not rehash old events. We've tried our best to atone for our mistake."

Dan pointed angrily at the weeping Match. "I know Max! He would have had to been very hurt to cry like that!"

Kon put his hand on Dan's shoulder. "Dan, he got over it. It was a while ago, and it hurt him a lot, but he eventually forgave everyone."

Dan took a couple deep breaths to calm down. "Sorry."

"We're very close to the end of the path," J'onn said.

Location: Match's mind, section 1F

"Who's the guy in the black armor?" Dan asked.

"That's a brainwashed me," Kon said. "This is fairly recent."

Robin looked around. "So, this is New Genesis."

"Those are some pretty good aerial moves," Superman said. "I think the two of you may be more maneuverable than me."

"It's because of the nature of the flight," Kon said. "I know I was brainwashed here, and I know what I did while brainwashed, but I don't remember what was done to me. I guess it must have been pretty bad for me to block it out."

"You two are really going at it, aren't you?" Robin commented.

"Perhaps I should reassess you," Batman said. "I haven't seen you exhibit this level of skill before; you're better than I thought."

"Thanks," Superboy said. "I think."

"He meant it as a compliment," J'onn told him.

"With all the other memories, I could understand their significance," Superman said. "I don't understand this one, though. Why's it important to Match as he relates to Superboy?"

"It's because it's the only time he's ever beat me," Kon said. "All the other times, either I won or we were interrupted before the end. This time, he had to be ruthless because I wasn't myself. He couldn't hold himself back because I probably would have killed him."

"What?" Dan exclaimed.

"I was Darkseid's loyal servant. Anyone in my way was an enemy to be eliminated. If Match hadn't stepped in when he did, I might have killed Orion."

The memory ended, and a wall made out of an inky black material lay before them. J'onn touched the wall for a moment, and then took a step back.

"You have to get us through this," he told Kon. "It's cutting off these important memories from Match's mind."

"What do I do?" Kon asked. "How do I break it?"

"I'm not sure," J'onn admitted. "Maybe there's a specific spot you need to touch to make it crumble. Perhaps you need to use your powers to pry it apart."

Kon approached the wall and looked at it. "Screw it; I'm just going to punch it."

Superboy punched the wall, and it shattered.

"That was easy," he said. "Whose memory stream is next?"

-----

Author's notes

Welcome to the most footnoted of my stories that you will ever see! 1A corresponds to Superboy #35 and 36. 1B corresponds to Superman Jr. /Superboy Sr. 1C is the first chapter of Brother in Arms. 1D takes place between chapters 1 and 2 of Brothers in Arms. 1E is from Future Sins, chapter 5. 1F is from Brother Against Brother, chapters 3 and 4.

Any and all comments welcome!


	3. Chapter 3 Superman

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Fugue State, chapter 3

Location: Match's mind, section 2A

"It appears that this memory stream relates to you," Robin told Superman. "Did Match really blast Steel like that when you first met him?"

"Wait, why are you blue?" Dan asked.

"It's complicated," Superman said. "Oh, this is going to be embarrassing..."

"I can't believe you said that!" Batman exclaimed. "'Get the clone.'"

"It's no wonder that Match thinks you disapprove of him after this first impression," Kon said.

"Match thinks I disapprove of him?" Superman asked, looking surprised. "Why's he think that?"

Kon stared at him. "You cannot be serious."

"What did I do?"

"You play favorites and are really hard on him."

"That's not true! Does it really look that way?"

"You're harder on him than you were on me for that first year, and you didn't like me at all. You all but freaked out when he told us about his relationship with Dan. When you visit, you want a lot more structured time with him than you do for anyone else. That's not even touching the Kor-El thing."

"I thought it'd be better because he's so...organized. I don't really understand him; he's so different from any other teenager I know. I'm not sure how to relate to him."

"How many teenagers do you really come into contact with?" Dan asked.

"Okay, he's nothing like me when I was his age," Superman admitted. "He's so poised and together that he's more like someone my age."

"You know, it's a big sham. He's as confused and vulnerable as anyone else; he just hides it better."

"When he's not on a mission," Kon added. "That's when he's poised and collected."

"Are you sure?" Superman asked. "I don't get that sense from him at all."

"Trust me, I know my boyfriend," Dan said.

"We're at a transition point," J'onn said.

Location: Match's mind, section 2B

"I haven't seen this," Superman said. "I'm not here."

"Let's watch and see why it's important," Batman said.

Match was attending the Contessa. She was in a lavishly decorated room. This was clearly back when Match was still a servant of the Agenda.

"You're going to be my tool to crush that man," the Contessa told Match. "It will be glorious! Then, I'll reclaim Lena from that barbarian!"

"Who's she talking about?" Robin asked.

"Lex Luthor," Superman answered. "She was married to him and after she gave birth, he tried to do away with her."

There was a knock at the door. She gestured to Match, and he opened it to reveal an Agenda scientist.

"I have the results," the man told the Contessa. "We've done a complete analysis of Match's genetic structure."

"Excellent! Give me the details."

"It turns out that the files we stole from Cadmus were inaccurate. He's a genetic hybrid of human and Kryptonian DNA. He is not just a human altered to be similar to a Kryptonian."

"Can we isolate the Kryptonian part?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Hh," Batman said. "This is where Match learned that he had a genetic connection to Superman. I suppose that's the significance of this memory."

The Contessa shrugged. "We'll acquire pure Kryptonian genetic material soon enough. What else can you tell me?"

"We've also identified the human donor with a ninety-eight percent degree of certainty."

"Westfield, I assume? The man was certainly egotistical enough."

"No, it's...Lex Luthor."

The Contessa blinked. "Are you suggesting that Paul Westfield was merely Lex Luthor wearing a wig?"

"No, he deceived Westfield and substituted his own genetic material. We ran the test against Amanda Spence's DNA, and he's definitely not derived from Westfield."

There was a pause, and then the Contessa backhanded Match. He fell to the floor in shock, and she proceeded to kick the teen.

"You...animal!" she screamed. "You're a part of that filthy Luthor! I'll never forgive you for that!"

Dan and Conner lunged for the woman, but they passed right through her. This was a memory, and they could not affect it.

After a while, she stopped. "Get him out of my sight! Let whoever wants to do whatever with him! I don't care; just keep him alive so he can help me get Lena! After that, we'll dispose of him!"

The six watching were sickened by what they saw.

"Why didn't he say anything?" Superman asked.

"It's lucky for her that she's dead," Kon seethed. "If she were alive, then I'd kill her."

"Stop it!" Superman shouted. "You can't say things like that, even if you're angry! We have to be better than that!"

"He didn't say anything because he didn't want to relive it," Dan said. "I don't know that for sure, but that's the sort of thing he'd do."

"Let's go on to the next memory," Batman said. "Staying here will only get us all angrier."

Location: Match's mind, section 2C

"Isn't this the JLA Watchtower?" Dan asked.

"This is after he left the Groups," Robin asked. "He's a good guy now."

They watched the discussion between everyone.

Robin turned to Superboy. "You were ready to give up being Conner for him? I didn't know that!"

"I would have hated not being Conner Kent any more," he answered. "But, I would have hated leaving him alone even more. It wouldn't have been right."

"I always wanted to ask you why you stepped in," Batman mentioned to Superman. "You knew the risks were great. It turned out well, but there was no indication it would be that way."

"It was a number of things," Superman answered. "On one level, I felt bad about the way I treated him. On another, I didn't want to lose Conner. What really drove my decision were his actions. He showed that he was a good person. I couldn't just abandon him."

"I'm glad you didn't," Kon said. "Any regrets now?"

"At the time, I made the right decisions," Batman answered. "If I knew then what I knew now, I would have made a different one."

"I didn't think I'd hear you admit that," Kon said.

"There is no shame in being wrong. Refusing to admit you were wrong, however, is foolish."

"He has proven himself to be very capable," J'onn said. "However, he had yet to reach his full potential."

Location: Match's mind, section 2D

Superman's face fell as he recognized what memory this was. "I should have known this was coming."

"What is this?" Kon asked.

"It's where I gave into my fears and betrayed Match's trust."

"You were manipulated," J'onn said. "We all were. It doesn't make what you did right, but there is an explanation for it."

"I never understood why he forced the issue," Batman said. "He could have left it alone and there was just as much chance we'd decide we were deceived as we would continue to distrust him."

"No, he was right to do so," J'onn argued. "Any of his actions would be viewed through the lens of whether he was trying to do the right thing or whether he was attempting to put us at ease."

"I would have been objective."

"Please, let's move on," Superman said.

The memory dissolved, and a pitch black wall appeared. Superman smashed it with one punch.

-----

More footnotes! 2A corresponds to Superboy #40. 2B occurs between Superboy #40 and Superman Jr. /Superboy Sr. 2C is the third chapter of Where Do We Go From Here. 2D is from Future Sins, chapter 5.

Any and all comments welcome!


	4. Chapter 4 Batman and Robin

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Fugue State, chapter 4

Location: Match's mind, section 3A

Match was wearing his Agenda costume, typing on a computer.

"This is different," Kon said. "Who's connected to this memory?"

A television in the background was set to a news channel. It was talking about the earthquake in Gotham. Batman and Robin shared an alarmed glance. Their worry increased when Tim's face flashed up on it.

"This group of memories seems to be shared between Batman and Robin," J'onn said, as the memory ended.

"There must have been something on that computer screen," Kon said, covering for them. "Did anyone catch what it was?"

"I didn't," Dan said.

"It's too late now," J'onn said. "Let's move on."

Location: Match's mind, section 3B

Match was holding a struggling man in the air by the throat. He was still wearing his Agenda costume.

"I've captured him," he reported. "Shall I return him to base?"

"Kill him," came the order over the radio. "He's a traitor and there's no mercy for traitors."

Match stared at his captive with wide eyes. The man gave him a pleading look.

"Match, are you going to force me to punish you?" the Contessa's voice came over the radio. "If you don't do it, I promise you that you'll regret it. You know that I always keep my promises."

"Please," the man croaked. "Have mercy!"

"Do it, now!" the Contessa ordered.

Match snapped the man's neck, dropped the body, and backed away from it. He stared at his hands and tears streamed silently down his face.

"I can't believe he did that," Superman breathed.

Batman was silent and stony-faced. The rest of them looked horrified.

"He didn't know how to disobey," Kon said. "We saw what they put him through. What sort of monster would use him like that?"

There was a pause.

"How does this involve Batman and Robin?" Dan asked.

"This appears to be more of a metaphorical relation to Robin and me," Batman said. "This would be the darkness in his past akin to the darkness in mine."

"Let's move on," J'onn said.

Location: Match's mind, section 3C

Match was wearing prison garb and was standing by himself in an open yard. Other prisoners milled around.

"I think I know what this is," Kon said. "I've heard it described."

Two prisoners approached Match. Kon recognized one of them as the hate-projecting empath named Rancor. The other one had tattoos showing that he was a member of the Royal Flush Gang, one of the Jacks.

"You're Match, aren't you?" Rancor asked.

"Yes," he replied in a flat tone.

The Jack said, "So, you're Superman's bad kid. Looks like you really pissed off Daddy if he was willing to throw you in jail."

"Go away," Match said in a cold tone.

"It's because of him that I'm here," snarled the Jack. "I'm going to use you to send a message to him."

He lashed out with a handmade shiv in his hand. Match blocked the blow and retaliated with an uppercut that knocked the Jack senseless and caused him to drop his weapon. As Rancor advanced, Match kicked him in the gut to drop him. The other prisoners started to gather at the commotion.

"Nothing personal, but you're going to send a message to the other prisoners for me," Match hissed to the Jack. "By the way, I'm not Superman's son."

Match grabbed the Jack's right arm and twisted. An audible snap was the result. The man started screaming, and Match turned an icy glare to the rest of the prisoners. The shifted uneasily and looked away.

"So, this is what it's like to be Batman," Match murmured to himself.

The guards burst into the yard, and the prisoners parted to show Match standing over the two who had attacked him. The guards shot tasers at all of them, and Match fell.

"That was frightening," Dan admitted. "I thought those guys were going to hurt him."

"I never thought it would be that way for him," Superman said. "I never thought that resembling me would cause him trouble."

"It's not easy," Kon told him. "What happened here is something I've never had to face, but looking like you isn't easy. There are high expectations to live up to."

"That was a good way to show he wasn't messing around," Batman said. "They were all frightened of him. It was an efficient use of force."

"I think it was excessive," Superman argued. "He had them beat."

"It wasn't," Robin said. "Not punishing them may have been mistaken for being merciful or not tough enough. Excessive force would have been killing him."

Superman remembered the previous memory and was silent.

"We should move on," J'onn said.

Location: Match's mind, section 3D

Match was in a room with Batman. Terse questions were receiving terse answers.

"I shouldn't be surprised that this is here," Batman said. "My hostility was appropriate for the time, or so I thought."

Kon listened to the questions. "Hey, these are like the ones that Wonder Woman asked me. That wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

"Two can be a coincidence and three a pattern," Robin replied. "That's what I was taught anyway."

"Who taught you that?" Dan asked.

Batman politely coughed, and Dan realized that it should have been obvious.

Kon's eyes narrowed as he turned to Superman. "Didn't you talk to your parents while we were interviewed? You asked the same sort of questions, didn't you?"

Superman nodded. "That's right."

"Didn't you trust him or me?"

"Trust had nothing to do with it," J'onn said. "In any event, it is preferred to gather more data points. The most we could gather was three, so we took those and discerned what we could from them."

"The Martian Manhunter's right," Robin said. "Multiple points of view can give you a more objective view of what the situation actually is."

"I guess," Kon said, not sounding completely convinced.

"Let's go on," J'onn said.

Location: Match's mind, section 3E

Match was sitting in front of a computer, wearing a headset.

"I don't think this is something any of us know about," Batman said. "Let's observe."

"The information I've given you has been correct, has it not?" Match said in a precise tone.

"Yes, it has," came a voice from the computer. "Without you, we wouldn't have been in a position to deal with the Burning Blade group before they became a serious threat. That doesn't change the fact that we know little about you."

"If my information is correct, then I see little point in anything else."

"You could be using us to eliminate your rivals."

"If that were my purpose, then why alert you to my existence at all? My goals are to make the world a safer place, but I really only have information to offer you."

"What are we supposed to call you? We don't even know that."

"I hear that some of your analysts have been referring to me as the End. It's a little melodramatic, but it is good enough."

"Match is the End?" Robin asked in disbelief. "When did he have the time to do that?"

"It must have been when he left during the summer," Kon said. "That's the only time he was gone long enough to set things up."

"Why didn't he just tell us?" Superman wondered.

"He didn't because it would have made us suspicious," Batman said. "If we knew he had as thorough an information network as he does, it would put him under more scrutiny; scrutiny that would hinder his effectiveness."

"You don't seem that surprised," Superman commented, his eyes narrowing.

"Match was on my list of potential candidates for being the End," Batman admitted. "He wasn't very high on the lists. Apparently, I should have thought he could set up the organization in as short a time as he had; I underestimated him."

"I think we can move on," Superman said.

Location: Match's mind, section 3F

Batman and Robin stiffened when they saw the next memory. It was of Max, Conner, and Tim saving the child from the river during the camping trip. This was a turning point between Max and Tim since they started being friends afterwards, but it was likely to give away Tim's identity to Dan.

Fortunately for them, Dan was fixated on the sight of his boyfriend in soaking wet clothing that clung to him.

"I guess you were in public and couldn't use your powers," he said.

"Yeah," Kon said. "We were the only ones in the position to do anything, so we did it."

"We need to get him out of this trance so I can see him like that in person, not just a memory of it."

"This was the last memory in this line," J'onn said.

The group came to a featureless black wall. Batman and Robin hit it, and it shattered.

-----

More footnotes! 3A and 3B take place between Superboy #40 and Superman Jr./Superboy Sr. 3C takes place between Superman Jr./Superboy Sr. and the first chapter of Brothers in Arms, but was referenced in the third chapter of Calm Before the Storm, entitled "Path to Redemption." 3D takes place during Where Do We Go From Here? chapter 7. 3E occurred off-screen during Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 1. 3F was from Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 5.

Whew! These footnotes are tougher than I originally thought.

Any and all comments welcome!


	5. Chapter 5 Dan

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Fugue State, chapter 5

Location: Match's mind, section 4A

"By process of elimination, this is your memory track," J'onn told Dan.

"I just see Max talking to Conner," Dan said. "I'm not sure how I figure into this."

"There you are," Kon said, pointing. "You just did a double-take."

"I didn't think he even noticed me that day," Dan said.

"Why did you react that way?" Superman asked.

"From the way he walks, I could tell he was a martial artist. That got me curious about how good he was."

Batman frowned. "That's-"

"A really bad idea," Dan finished. "I know. Everyone's told me that. Several times."

"Let's move on," J'onn said. "It's clear that this was the first time he saw you."

Location: Match's mind, section 4B

"This would be the first time you two really met," Kon said.

"Oh, this is embarrassing," Dan said. "I'm not going to be allowed to ever forget this, am I?"

"Definitely not."

"That's the first thing you said to him?" Superman asked. "How'd you get to be friends after that? Is Match crazy?"

"I've wondered about that last question too," Kon said.

"How did the fight go?" Batman asked.

"He knocked me out in one punch," Dan admitted.

"So, that's where that 'it was a good punch' line comes from," Superman muttered. "I see why they always avoided the question."

"This was the basis of your relationship?" Robin asked.

"It's the basis of their friendship, which led to their relationship," Kon corrected.

"I'm having difficulty seeing how this became friendship," Superman said. "Have things changed that much?"

"There's a clear parallel," Batman said. "Match was defeated by Superboy who later became his brother. Here, Match defeated Dan, so perhaps that seemed like a logical course for him to follow."

"I think we should progress," Superman said. "We want to free him."

Location: Match's mind, section 4C

"No wonder Match was confused for a week," Kon commented. "You came on to him pretty strong."

"He's said that I don't do subtlety well," Dan admitted.

"This explains the transition from friendship to relationship," Batman said. "It was at the instigation of another. The possibility may not have occurred to him before this."

"Do you really need to dissect it so clinically?" Dan asked.

"I'm in the habit of analyzing everything."

"Tell me about it," Robin muttered.

"I can sense unease in the next memory," J'onn said. "It may not be pleasant."

Location: Match's mind, section 4D

In this memory, Dan was looking angry, and Max was visibly affected. The words exchanged weren't heated, but they demoralized Max.

"That was kind of brutal," Robin said. "You were really cold."

"I was angry," Dan said, unusually subdued. "From my perspective, he had been lying to me for a while. There may have been good reasons, but it didn't make things hurt any less."

"Let's move on," J'onn said. "This next memory should be the last."

Location: Match's mind, section 4E

Conner, Dan, and Max were in the Kent's barn. Conner and Dan were dressed as a goth rocker and cowboy respectively.

"Ah, it's Halloween," Kon said. "So, I'm finally going to find out what you guys talked about that made you happy."

Dan turned red. "Uh, can't we just go to the big black wall now? We can skip this. I'm ready to punch it down."

Kon smiled. "Oh, it's mushy, isn't it? Well, there I go. Let's see what you talked about. If you have sickeningly cutesy nicknames for each other, I'm going to make fun of both of you!"

There was a pause as they watched what the two did. Talking was not what they did.

"What do you think you're doing?" Superman shouted.

"I believe it's obvious," J'onn said, turning away from the teens in a vain attempt to give them some privacy.

"He said you talked!" Kon accused Dan.

"We did talk," Dan said defensively. "We just did it later."

"This is my parent's barn!" Superman said, still outraged.

"This was supposed to be a private moment," Batman said, following J'onn's example and turning his back. "Let's give them as much as we can. I believe we don't need to delve into the significance of this."

Everyone turned around and tried to block out the scene. Dan was completely red.

After a while (far too long for all of those in Match's mind, but for different reasons), the memory faded and the black wall appeared. Dan hit it, and it shattered.

-----

The final set of footnotes is here. 4A is from Rivals or Friends, chapter 1. 4B and 4C take place during the same story, but chapters 2 and 4, respectively. 4D was in Mind Games, chapter 3. 4E took place off-screen in the epilogue of Opening Moves.

Any and all comments welcome!


	6. Chapter 6, the conclusion

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Fugue State, chapter 6

Location: Match's mind, the core

The group wasn't quite prepared for what they saw next. Match was entrapped in a tangle of machinery while a figure in purple robes stood near him.

"You should give up," the man said. "There's nothing anyone can do to save you."

"Desaad!" Superman shouted, recognizing him. "Get away from him!"

"Motherbox, dispose of them," Desaad said.

The machinery broke off a pod that turned into a robot. The robot lumbered towards the group.

Superman plowed into it and brushed it aside. However, dozens of robots sprung up in its place. The others joined in.

"Fools!" Desaad bellowed. "Your powers are physical. The motherbox simulates telepathy for me! You can't withstand my power!"

J'onn frowned at this and concentrated. The machinery and robots started to crumble as J'onn's psychic powers started to undo the manifestations of Desaad's artificial telepathy.

Match broke free from his bonds and smashed the remaining robots. It was his mind, so now that he was free, he had powers over the environment that others did not.

Desaad backed off. "You're free. Ah well, I suppose it's for the best. I find dealing with prey unaware of their situation to be...unsatisfying."

"You don't understand, do you?" Match asked him.

"What are you babbling about?"

Match flashed a vicious grin at him. "This was a trap. I wished to learn the identity of the one targeting me. Do you really think you could have penetrated my mental defenses otherwise?"

Desaad looked uncertain. "That's absurd!"

"Believe what you want, I have my answers. For now, everyone's going to return to their bodies."

Location: the JLA Watchtower, medical bay

Everybody blinked as their minds returned to their bodies. Match's eyes opened and he smiled weakly at everyone as he removed the diodes on his body.

"Thank you," he told them.

"Don't use yourself as bait for crazy things!" Kon scolded. "Stop trying to get yourself injured or killed!"

"That was too risky," Batman agreed.

"Oh," Match replied nonchalantly. "That wasn't the truth. I didn't use my unconscious mind as bait. To deceive your enemies, first you must deceive your allies."

"You lied?" Superman asked. "Why?"

"It was to unsettle Desaad. He didn't think of the possibility that I could do such a risky stunt. It will keep him wondering what else I'm capable of, and that will cause him to hesitate. I've been reacting to him, and now he has to react to me."

"Would you have used yourself as bait if you thought of it?" Kon asked.

Match paused to consider it. "No. The risks far outweighed the benefits. There are limits to the lengths that I will go."

"We need to talk," Batman told him.

Match sighed. "I imagine that each of you will want to talk to me. Before that, I do want to thank you all again. You're all very important to me, and I wouldn't be here if you didn't undertake great risks to free me."

"You're important to us, as well," Superman said.

-----

Well, no footnotes this time. I hope that you enjoyed reading this! The next story "Fallout" will immediately follow the events of this one.

Any and all comments welcome!


End file.
